Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-12-02
THE AMERICAN TROTTER.
BY THE HON. j. s. SKINNER OF WASH
INGTON CITY

lNGTON CITY.
From Am Turf Register, Vol. xiv, p. PSI
Concluded from last week.
The stoutest horse, of whatever kind or
degree of blood, might be expected to
give way if put at three or four, as the
race horse Is, into severe training under
heavy weights, for trotting stakes or the
chase: but. on the other hand, without
blood to give him wind and courage,
what would avail this bag of bones" in
II trial to trot his hundred miles in ten
hours? johnson, author of the Sports
mans Cyclopeda, justly esteemed high
authority on such subjects, remarks that
thoroughbred horses and particularly
those of the best blood are seldom pos
sessed of sufficient bone to render them
pre-eminently calculated for the chase;
yet am free to confess that the very best
hunters that have fallen under my obser-
walton have been remarkably well and
very highly bred, but yet not absolutely
thoroughbred" The same remark it is
not doubted might be made as generally
applicable to our tirst-rate trotters at
long distances. The cases of Abdallah
and Messenger have been instanced to
show that great trotters not thorough
bred may and do beget trotters, aud
hence some would argue that a distinct
race of horses may or does exist. But it
is to be remembered that both Abdallah
and Messenger are sons of Mambrino,
son of old Messenger, and of Messenger
mares, though not thoroughbred and
nothing is better known by all who have
subjects than that the Messenger family is
distinguished for making first-rate coach
horses-quck in light harness, and re-
markable for endurance and long life.
That Abdallah, therefore. himself deep in
the Messenger blood. should be himself a
trotter and a getter of trotters, only
proves that like begets like, and that of
distinct breed, like the thoroughbred
horses, characterized by the possession of
general properties belonging only to and
constituting that breed, there may be
particular families distinguished for some
peculiar qualities not possessed in the
same degree by other families of the same
breed. Thus we have the three classes
of the English thoroughbred stock, to
wit the Herod. the Matchem, and the
Eclipse, that have served rs crosses for
each other. In like manner, it may be
said of the improved Short-horn cattle
their general characteristic is early ma
turity and propensity to fat, without be-
ing generally remarkable as deep mixers,
though there are families of the short
horns esteemed for that quality = Il dash
of the blood of old Messenger imparts
high form and action for the state coach
and the eye of the connoiseur can detect
the signs in horse in whose veins even
one-eighth of his blood flows; so the fact
is generally known to old gentlemen il
the South, and especially avouched by the
Sporting and Agricultural society in
South Carolina, that the stock of old
Janus (there called Genius was so re.
markable as road and saddle horses as tC
have gotten to be considered distinct
breed; so the Topgallant stock made fine
saddle horses, eXcellng in the canter
The blood horse, too, is remarkable fol-
longevity-the Messenger stock particu
larry so. If the truth could be known il
is probable it flowed in larger or smaller
streams in each of the four thorough
, breds which the late General Hampton
, (sire of that paragon of sportsmen anG
, gentlemen, Col. Wade Hampton) drove
in his coach altogether for sixteen years
, Here may be aptly introduced some eX
t tracts from Il familiar letter received by
the editor from Col. \. Goldsborough OF
Talbot, Maryland, who has an eye fol
the fine points of horse, as quick as
hawks for fish-one who has though
much and with effect on all matters thai
give dignity and attraction to rural life
himself of the pure old stock in fashion
t when it meant something to be called (;
: "Maryland' or "Virginia gentleman
) He, in confirmation of our hypothesis
= says, speaking of Tom Thumb" Blu
whence came his lastingness, his powers O
endurance, as well as speed? have beer
in the habit of thinking that no hors,
could long continue eXertion, especially
at rapid pace, without good tinctur,
of blood. At about the same time ther,
went to England horse called Rather
of great speed as trotter-he was rep
resented as the cross of full-bred hors,
on the Canadian mare. What magnti
; cent picture Whale bone makes in hi
trotting action, and how different from
, the above named horses! When boy
have seen Phil Hemsly mounted on hi
trotting mare, bred on the borders o
| Queen Anne's county. She was much il
: the style of the famous Phenomena Mar
of England-about fourteen and a hal
, hands high-he could keep up with
mack of hounds all day in "A trot-and SIN